バイオグラフィー
SEBASTIEN BONNEAU is an M&A and private equity lawyer with a rare depth of knowledge of data center customer contracts, built up since 2006.
That experience allows Sebastien to advise across a wide range of data center transaction types, including acquisitions, joint ventures, and equity and debt financings, with a very precise understanding of the operational constraints that shape each deal. Clients rely on him to translate the commercial and operational realities of their business into workable contractual terms, and to anticipate the issues that matter most to the other side of the table.
Over the past 20 years, Sebastien has advised on some of the industry’s most transformative transactions, including the Stargate project in Abilene, Texas, ByteDance’s Project Clover, Data4’s expansion across Europe, and the launch of Digital Realty’s operations in France. He has drafted and negotiated data center customer agreements, from colocation and master services agreements to single-tenant and build-to-suit construction leases, opposite hyperscalers, cloud providers, and Neo-Clouds. He builds financing requirements into each contract from the outset, and regularly acts as customer-agreement adviser for sponsors and lenders in acquisitions, investments, and financings.
His work focuses on data centers and digital infrastructure, where he represents some of the most renowned owners, developers, operators, investors, and lenders, as well as newer market entrants. Dual-qualified, he has experience across transactions in Europe and the U.S.
Sebastien was recognized in 2025 by The Tech Capital as one of the “50 Most Influential Lawyers in Digital Infrastructure.” He has been recommended by Legal 500 UK for M&A (Lower Mid-Market Deals: £100-750 million) in 2026, Private Equity (Transactions: Mid-Market Deals, up to £500 million) in 2025, and Venture Capital in 2024.
経験
Representative Matters
Data Center M&A, Finance and Development (Selected Transactions)
- A global digital assets group on the multi-billion-dollar sale of a data center and mining business across the U.S. and Europe.
- A newly established U.S.-based edge data center company on a US$115 million partnership and equity financing from a European investment firm to launch its data center development operations in Europe.
- A real estate investor (owned by an infrastructure investment arm of a pension fund) in connection with:
- A US$130 million note purchase from a senior construction loan of approximately US$2.3 billion to finance the buildout of a hyperscale data center in the U.S., as part of a large-scale AI infrastructure initiative, leased to a leading cloud and software provider. Main parties across the table included a major U.S. bank, the site developer, an alternative asset manager, and a data center developer.
- A US$250 million note purchase from a US$2 billion loan comprising senior mortgage and mezzanine financing to finance the buildout of a hyperscale data center in the U.S., leased to a leading cloud and software provider. Main parties across the table included a major U.S. bank, a data center developer, and an infrastructure investor.
- A private equity firm on the acquisition of a controlling interest in a data center company.
- A private equity firm on the negotiation of a joint venture for the development of a data center in Germany with a prime data center operator.
- A European investment firm on a US$300 million partnership and equity financing of a prime data center operator in Europe.
- A global investment bank on the financing of a land acquisition and subsequent data center development in France.
- A digital infrastructure investor on the negotiation of a joint venture for the development of a powered shell and fitted-out data center in the U.S.
- A global data center operator on the negotiation of a joint venture for the development of 216 megawatts of power generation and 200 megawatts of data center infrastructure in the U.S., expected to be leased to a hyperscaler.
- A renewable energy developer on a potential investment in a joint venture for the development of a 1,000 megawatt data center in the U.S.
- An equity investor on a US$1 billion joint venture with a prime data center operator for the development of a data center in Germany, with a total capacity of 38 megawatts.
- A logistics real estate group’s joint venture on the structuring and development of its data center joint venture agreements across Europe.
- A logistics real estate developer on the structuring of build-to-suit products across Europe.
- A Canadian bank on its participation in an US$800 million syndicated facility for the development of a data center in the UK, with a total capacity of 62 megawatts.
- A data center developer (owned by a digital infrastructure investor):
- On the acquisition of real estate assets and the development of a data center in the Netherlands, opposite a leading real estate platform, with a total capacity of 22.5 megawatts.
- On the acquisition of real estate assets and the development of a data center in Italy.
- An IT services company on a double data center sale-and-leaseback transaction in France, opposite a data center operator, set to deliver 400 megawatts of AI-compatible infrastructure and become the largest data center in Europe by 2028.
- A European data center operator (owned by a global asset manager) on the acquisition of a real estate asset in Europe for the development of a data center campus.
- An equity investor on the acquisition of a real estate asset in Europe for the development of a data center.
- A global social media platform on the negotiation of a build-to-suit powered shell project, opposite a prime data center operator.
- An alternative asset manager on the negotiation of a data center sale-and-leaseback transaction, opposite a prime data center operator.
- A European data center operator (owned by a global asset manager) on the project development of a data center facility in Germany.
- A group of syndicated lenders on a US$150 million facility for the development of a data center in Ireland, with a total capacity of 16 megawatts.
- A data center holding company on the refinancing of a facility agreement for a data center operator opposite a leading lender.
- A global social media platform on various corporate issues related to a data center provider’s Chapter 11 proceedings.
Data Center Leases, MSAs, and Colocation Agreements (Selected Transactions)
- Since 2006, multiple U.S. and European leading data center operators (REITs, other listed, and non-listed) on:
- data center services agreement, colocation agreements, and leases across Europe with hyperscalers, enterprise customers, or Neo-Clouds, for total contract values ranging from hundreds of millions of dollars to multi-billion dollars;
- the design of standard data center services agreements for their European activities, including for the largest European data center campus.
- A global social media platform on the design of standard edge computing (data center and telecommunications) services agreements.
- A global social media platform on multiple data center master services agreements, opposite a prime data center operator, including a multi-billion-dollar data center master services agreement in Norway with a data center operator, with a total capacity of 260 megawatts.
- A global digital assets group on a data center access and colocation crypto mining leaseback agreement following the sale of part of its data center business.
- A global social media platform on regulatory advice in relation to edge computing (data center and telecommunications).
Other Sectors (Selected Transactions)
Real Estate
- A listed real estate developer on several strategic joint ventures with construction equipment suppliers and other innovative service providers.
- An asset manager on the preparation of a Vendor Due Diligence report for a 77-asset portfolio and its sale to a real estate investor (deal value: €300 million).
- An asset manager on the preparation of a Vendor Due Diligence report for a 32-asset portfolio and its sale to a consortium of real estate investors (deal value: €145 million).
Energy
- A listed energy company on the sale of a 37.5 megawatt wind farm in France to a major energy utility (deal value: €75 million).
- An energy services group on a joint venture with a South American government for the construction of a hospital under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract.
- An energy services group on a joint venture with a Central American government for the construction of a biomass cogeneration plant under a public-private partnership.
- A leading Australian oil and gas company on a joint venture with a major energy utility for the exploration, extraction, and distribution of gas in Australia.
- A leading Australian oil and gas company on a joint venture with a major oil and gas company for the exploration, extraction, and distribution of gas in Australia.
- A leading chemicals group on the sale of an industrial chemical site in France.
Health Care
- A listed Italian industrial gas and healthcare group on the acquisition of the Greek entities of a global industrial gas company.
- The management of a top-tier private hospital in France on a leveraged management buyout (deal value: €100 million).
- A private hospital group and several leading European medical laboratory groups on multiple acquisitions of stakes in biomedical laboratories in France.
- A healthcare technology company on the creation of a national network of independent biologists in France.
- A healthcare technology company on a European partnership with a European laboratory group.
Other Private Equity and M&A
- A tech entrepreneur and co-founder of a U.S. software company on an equity investment in a professional basketball club.
- A public transport operator on an investment in a mobility start-up, a ride-hailing start-up, and a U.S. mobility start-up.
- A corporate venture capital arm of a listed automotive group on a spin-off and further development of a start-up.
- A global energy group on the design of a corporate venturing process.
- Hundreds of seed, Series A, and Series B investment rounds in French start-ups.
- A French mutual insurance group’s venture arm on the sale of a participation in a U.S. start-up.
- The management of France’s third-largest truck rental operator, together with its logistics group shareholder, on a leveraged management buyout (LMBO) with a private banking group (deal value: €150 million).
- The management of France’s third-largest truck rental operator, together with its logistics group shareholder, on the refinancing of the LMBO.
- A listed U.S. precision instruments company on the restructuring of its corporate entities in France (deal value: €150 million).
- A media group on a strategic commercial partnership agreement with an African government.
- A media group on joint ventures with local partners in the U.S. and Africa.
- A European fintech unicorn on various real estate and corporate matters across Europe.
- Franchisees of an Italian ice cream brand on master franchise agreements for the distribution of its products in four U.S. states.
The above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.
コミュニティへの参加
Membership & Activities
- Founder and President, La French Data Center Connection.
資格
弁護士資格・登録
- France – Avocat au Barreau de Paris
- England & Wales – Solicitor
学歴
- University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne, 法務博士, 1999
- Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, 法学学士 , 1998
- HEC Paris, MBA, 2012